Sunrise
by OOCmaster
Summary: A Kingdom Hearts crossover. A strange man washes up on Besaid, and Rikku can't help but feel connected to him somehow. But who are the strange people in cloaks, and what do they want with Spira?
1. Dawn of a New Story

**Hi guys! As you've probably gathered, this is a X-2/Kingdom Hearts crossover. For those who haven't played Kingdom Hearts, there may be plot spoilers, so be warned. For those who have (hopefully a lot of you), there should be a few surprises just the same.**

**Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and its characters dont belong to me, they belong to Disney and Square. Same for Final Fantasy X and X-2, minus the Disney.**

**This will be a Riku/Rikku pairing. I've taken Riku from just before Kingdom Hearts 2, i.e., Sora is still in deep sleep. Because this is before KH2, the Gullwings appearance as fairies won't be happening. I've made a few other extremely small changes, such as the fact that Tidus and Wakka never got turned into 7 year olds by Square and dumped on Destiny Islands. Other than that, enjoy!

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**The sun spread its fingertips over the murky horizon, the light mingling with the dark before slowly pushing it away into nothing. The tendrils of gold creeped over the surface of the planet, revealing a deep, sapphire blue sea glinting beneath it. The light edged closer, and closer, and it reached an island. A small island, tropical, with a small, cosy village set in its heart, waterfalls tumbling down over pathways to meet the meandering river. This river journeyed what little length the island had to reach the beach, sprinkled with fine sand like icing on the most delicious cake you could ever find. This was Besaid. 

Sand wasn't the only thing on the beach. Fishing and shipping equipment lined the grassy banks where forest merged onto the shore, and small huts dotted the area preceding the pier. There were people here, too. The Besaid Aurochs were training hard under the eye of their new captain and star player. While the athletes sweated, their 'coach' egged them on from the sidelines with his wife and child, and three girls watched the sunrise from the sand.

Rikku fidgeted as she looked at the natural beauty unravelling itself in front of her. She liked watching the sunrise, but watching _every_ morning was tedious, to say the least. Rikku wore a simple yellow bra, some very short brown shorts, and had two yellow pouches strapped to a belt encircling her waist. Her arms were covered in thin white sleeves tied with several ribbons. A blue bandanna tied part of her blond hair, with a few braided locks hanging down. The rest of it was free to blow wildly in the wind, if there happened to be a wind. One of the most unusual things about her was her vibrantly green eyes with a swirl pattern, though this was becoming more common throughout Spira as Al Bhed were more accepted, for Rikku was an Al Bhed.

She glanced at two girls to her left. One had short, brown hair which had been braided into a long rattail, and donned a rather revealing no sleeve white top, which had a large, spiky black 'J' embedded into the stitching. The top was lined with pink lace at the bottom. She had navy pants and two belts, yellow and blue, onto which a blue and white half skirt was attached, covering her left leg, and both legs were covered with knee high boots. On her left wrist she had a blue armband, and a yellow one on her upper right arm. A 'T' shaped pendant hung around her neck. Her eyes were even stranger than Rikku's: one sapphire blue, the other emerald green with the swirl pattern. This was High Summoner Yuna, Rikku's cousin.

The other girl was unnervingly still as she watched the horizon. She had short, grey hair, Her clothes consisted mainly of black leather held together by various red and black straps, clips and belts. Her hands and feet were encased in elbow length leather gloves and knee high boots. Leather was this girl's specialty. On much of the leather, silver studs and rings shone red in the rising sun; a large silver cross was pinned onto the folds of leather over her chest, and she too had a silver pendant, though the symbol was not recognisable. She had the strangest eyes of all- red. This was Paine, by name if not by nature.

Yuna saw Rikku looking at her, and smiled before turning to laugh at antics of Tidus and the Aurochs. Tidus, who had returned not a month earlier, had dirty blond hair and aquamarine eyes. He wore a pendant around his neck with the same 'J' as on Yuna's stitching, but other than that he had a complete change of wardrobe. He was wearing a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, and sported a light brown jacket over the top. At first glance his blue jeans appeared normal, but on closer inspection they were made of slightly harder denim to act as guards. Even in this time of peace, one could not be too careful. Rikku couldn't help but think his outfit looked a bit ridiculous, but the good friendship he offered was worth his odd dress sense, and after all, he was the reason Yuna had been smiling so much lately.

Behind him, at the edge of the beach, stood Wakka and Lulu. Wakka had red hair that curved over his head, and he still wore the traditional yellow and black Aurochs uniform, despite being reduced to being their coach (which mainly involved yelling at Tidus from the sidelines). Next to him, Lulu stood stoically as ever, though a smirk was tugging at the corners of her mouth. Black hair, with four long braids trailing down her back. At first glance you would assume she was wearing a dark grey robe lined with fur at the neck and lace at the cuffs, but on closer inspection the front had been left open, but the gap was covered by an innumerable amount of belts. In her arms she cradled a young child, Vidina, who had red hair like Wakka.

Rikku turned around to face the sea again. She squirmed in sand, unable to sit still. Always the most bubbly of the group, when Yuna and Tidus had invited her and Paine to stay on Besaid for a while, she had been hoping for a bit more than waiting on the beach each morning. She wanted action!

She didn't have to wait long.

The water was dark. Out in the middle of the ocean it's like that naturally, but this was in the shallows, normally crystal clear. And it wasn't just dark- it was pitch black. It looked like a cloud of powder, like when sand is kicked in the shallows and it swirls in a dust storm. Was some strange substance being washed onto the shore?

Yuna and Paine had noticed it too, their hands straying towards guns and swords. As if in response to this, the dark water began to bubble and boil, but something told Rikku that it wasn't hot, it was deadly cold. She didn't know how, she just _knew_. The substance pooled out of the water and onto the sand, which began to shimmer and form into a strange shape.

The others had been alerted now. Wakka, Lulu and the Aurochs stood back, looking uneasy, while Tidus drew his blade, Brotherhood. Rikku reached down and unclasped her two knives from her belt, gripping them tightly. The shape was no longer odd and deformed, and was taking on a more recognisable form.

Something undoubtedly and disturbingly human.

This revelation was enough to stay the hands of the four warriors, and they watched as the person solidified out of the shadows. At first, all they could see was fairly long silvery hair that seemed to float above the pool of darkness. But as the pool receded, it became apparent the stranger was wearing a black trench coat with a hood, and wore gloves and boots. He was sprawled on the ground as if he had just been knocked around in a fight, and a bad one at that. Blood stained his hair and his cloak, suggesting he had several large gashes that were still bleeding. He was completely unconscious…dead, perhaps?

Suddenly, against her fighting instinct, Rikku was compelled to walk over and help them. She lowered her blades and cautiously stepped toward him.

"Careful," growled Paine. "It might be a trap." The Al Bhed ignored her, and bent down to feel for a pulse. She found it, but it was weak.

"He's alive- just" She told the others. "Come on, help with him, will ya?" She tugged at his sleeve, indicating she needed help to lift him.

"Are you crazy?" snorted Paine. "He just turned up in a load of dark energy- that's bad, really bad. How do we know he won't go psycho on us when he wakes up?"

Yuna frowned turned to the leather clad warrior. "So we're just gonna leave him here to die?"

"I never said-" she started, but was cut off by Tidus.

"I think we save judgement 'till later. Right now he needs our help, right?" Everyone nodded, even Paine, though somewhat reluctantly.

"You can take him to our hut," said Lulu. "We'll have room".

"Lu always keeps the first aid cupboard stocked, ya?" piped up Wakka. Vidina gurgled in what appeared to be agreement. As they all helped lift the enigmatic boy, Rikku noticed that his eyes were covered by a black blindfold. Had he been the victim of some kind of attack, where the enemy had blindfolded him and left him defenceless? Feeling a sudden chill that was nothing to do with the weather, Rikku felt a sudden urge to take the sick piece of cloth of the mans face, but again, against all instinct, a part of her told that she shouldn't. She didn't know how she knew that, she just did.

None of the others seemed to notice that the usually hyperactive Al Bhed was deathly silent the whole way to the village. Rikku looked at the stranger again, and turned her gaze to the creeping dawn.

_Whoever you are,_ she thought. _We'll help you_.

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**Ok, you know the drill. That blue button is just waiting to be pressed!**

**A word on reviewing. Constructive criticism: big yes! Flames: Instant intolerance. You have been warned.**


	2. Magical Frustrations

**Thanks to all that reviewed! I update when I can, but the time varies. I'll (hopefully) bring you another chapter soon. Enjoy!**

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The silver haired youth had been carefully placed on the camp bed in Wakka and Lulu's hut, the latter tending to the deep gash that had torn through his cloak and sliced the tendons in his right arm. After cleaning the wound and bandaging it, Lulu stepped back, telling the rest of them that nature would heal his arm in time.

"Who do you think he is?" said Tidus, breaking the silence after a few minutes. He looked at the others hopefully, but was disheartened to see they were just as confused as he was.

"More importantly," said Paine calmly. "What attacked him, and is it nearby?" If it had been quiet before, it was nothing compared to the almost choking silence now. None of them had thought of that.

"Trust you to crash the party, Paine." Said Rikku, trying to lighten the mood. The warrior was on the verge of a sarcastic reply, but was cut off by a rustling of fabric from the bed. Turning, they saw the stranger had begun to wake up.

"Failed…" He whispered hoarsely. It sounded like his throat had dried up from lack of use. "Failed you…" Without warning he bolted upright into a sitting position, but yelled as he became aware of the pain in his arm.

"Don't strain yourself," said Yuna soothingly. "You're hurt bad. You should rest for a couple of days." Slowly, he turned his neck to face her. Despite the blindfold on his eyes, he acted as if he could see them all quite clearly, which was quite unnerving. His face was contorted in pain, but he spoke quite calmly.

"Where am I? And who are you? He demanded. Rikku decided that she had better join the fray, and spoke up:

"You're on the Island of Besaid," She explained to him. She frowned when he did not react in recognition. It was a fairly well known place. Regardless, she continued. "I'm Rikku, this is Yuna, Paine, Tidus, Wakka and Lulu." A baby's complaining cry came from the room next door. She smiled. "And that's Vidina."

He was looking at her intently now. That blind gaze was creeping her out, sending shivers down her spine. "Rikku?" he enquired, a hint of doubt in his voice. She nodded, bewildered. "But…" And then, he did something that none of them expected. He _blushed_.

"But that's…that's my name…" he muttered, sounding downright embarrassed. There was a moment of calm, then the penny dropped and everyone burst out laughing. Rikku was more furious that the others were in such hysterics than about the odd coincidence, though she was certainly surprised by it. She noticed that Riku (it felt odd to call him that) was smirking, and was relieved that he was lightening up a bit.

"_Drec ec ku ihvyen…"_ _This is so unfair..._she whined in Al Bhed, drawing a blank look from Riku, and more titters from the others. They didn't know what she was saying, but they had a good idea.

"So, Riku." Said Paine, still smirking. "How'd you end up with that wound?" All eyes returned to him, and it seemed he had resumed his usual 'enigmatic' self. He scowled at her.

"I got into a fight, and I lost." He said plainly. Wakka slapped his head in exasperation, and everyone else sighed.

"Then allow us another question," asked Lulu politely. "How did you get here, through that pool of darkness?" Riku's face remained passive. He seemed to be thinking very hard.

"My Plan B didn't work." Everyone groaned; this guy just wasn't yielding.

"We need to know what bought you here," said Yuna. " It might mean trouble for the island." He swivelled to look at her.

"You the chief of defence 'round here, or something?"

"No…" piped Rikku. "But she's had to save the world a few times!" The silver boy considered this for a moment, then addressed them:

"I bought myself here, so there's nothing for you to worry about." He spoke in the same disturbingly calm tone the whole time. "Now if you excuse me, I have to go." He raised his gloved hand, and snapped his fingers while whispering an incantation under his breath.

Nothing happened. He frowned, and snapped them again. Whatever he had been trying to do, it hadn't worked. He faced the six of them again, and grinned. "I don't think Plan C worked, either. Looks like you're stuck with me."

"That was a teleport spell."

Everyone turned to see Lulu sitting in the corner, cradling Vidina in her arms. It seemed she had snuck out during the proceedings and brought in the complaining infant. Now though, an expression of wonder graced her face. "Those are meant to be impossible. The theory for them was never proved."

Tidus chuckled, and nudged their newest addition. "Guess that's why it didn't work, eh?"

"It did earlier." Everyone thought about that for a moment. Then, Yuna turned to Riku.

"You teleported here?" She asked curiously. He nodded. He slowly, and painfully, stood up.

"Careful, that arm there's delicate, ya?" Said Wakka helpfully. Riku regarded it with slight annoyance, and held his hand over the wound.

"Curaja."

Green tendrils of magic extended from his fingertips, and wrapped themselves around the bandage around his upper arm. It fell away, revealing that the skin under the torn fabric had been completely healed. Then, the coat itself mended.

"Level four magic spells, too…" whispered Rikku in awe. Riku turned and smiled at her.

"Would like me to demonstrate my Ultimaja spell?" He asked, as casually as talking about the weather. Without waiting for a reply from the stunned Al Bhed, he turned and walked out into the village.

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Memories came flooding back to Riku as he watched the people stroll past in this cosy little island community that was so similar to his own. Ironic that he had always longed to get away from that place, yet now he felt homesick. A few passer-bys stared at his blindfold, but did not question it. Little did they know, the blindfold was made of a special cotton that had been enchanted to act almost like a one way mirror: he could see out, but they couldn't see in.

A rustle from the hut behind told him that the others had followed him. He smirked. These people were determined. He turned towards and noticed the girl who shared his name looking at him curiously.

"If you can use magic like that, how come you lost that fight?" She enquired, an eager curiosity filling her face with glee.

Riku laughed. "He was stronger." He replied taciturnly. There was yet _another_ awed silence. Even the leather clad warrior- what was she called…Paine? Seemed impressed, though she was trying not to show it. "Well," he started, slightly more cheery, "Isn't anyone going to give me grand tour?"

Rikku whimpered, and everyone stared at her. "What?" Asked Tidus, looking confused (as usual).

"_Well_," she started huffily. "This guy doesn't know about Besaid, right? So that means he doesn't know anything about Spira, either! So we've got to explain _all_ of that…"

Now everyone was staring at the newcomer. This was going to be a long day, and they hadn't even had breakfast yet.

If that weren't enough, Vidina chose that exact moment to soil himself.

Amid the sudden bawling, Lulu's sighs, and Wakka's cries of 'We'll make a blitzer of him yet, ya!' Tidus and Yuna's hasty exit, and Paine's apparent unwillingness to do anything but stand there and look cool, Rikku found herself landed with explaining the past 1000 years of Spira's history.

_Adanpym Lyms, so ycc._

_Eternal Calm, my ass._

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**_R&R, People!_**


	3. The Light Dims

**Hey all, Im updating faster than I thought! We get to see a little more action in this chapter...**

**b4k4-san: Just google search 'al bhed translator'. I use the second one, it gives phonetics (how to pronounce it) as well.**

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Sin…Yevon…Summoners…Farplane…

It was a lot to take in. Thankfully, as many of the problems caused by Spira's previously corrupt government had apparently been solved, Riku hardly needed to worry about it.

At first, he had though that Besaid was all there was to this world, perhaps a few other islands, much like the tiny archipelago system he grew up with back home. But as the enthuastiac girl who shared his name continued in her explanation, he began to realise that this planet was a lot larger than any other he had visited. Riku assumed that meant they were aware of the multitude of other worlds that awaited them beyond the stars.

"Wait," said Rikku, pausing as she concluded the tale of Shuyin and Lenne, and of Tidus' return. "Here I am, telling you all this, but…how come you don't know anything about Spira?"

Apparently not.

"Did you grow up on the ocean floor, or something?" She punched his arm playfully. It didn't hurt, but he drew back in mock offence.

"Certainly not!" He looked around. The story had carried them from dawn right through to the afternoon. The sun was shining much more brightly now, and everyone was going about their daily business. Children played, dogs yapped, and some of the older villagers were simply wallowing in the peace. _One advantage of being unaware of other worlds,_ he thought carefully. _Is that they don't always have to worry about the dangers of the Heartless or Nobodies all the time._ Things were…peaceful here. "I come from far away," he said, turning back to look at Rikku. "I-" He suddenly felt a twinge of regret and guilt. He had grown up in a place just as timeless and peaceful as this. A year ago, he would never have suspected anything.

Was this safe haven really so safe?

He noticed the girl gazing at him intently. She had sparkling, emerald eyes with a swirl in them that, if you looked at it right, seemed to reflect the sun in every direction. It was…mesmerising. He realised he was ogling, and mentally slapped himself.

_You're on an important mission. No time for chatting up girls, you need a way off this world, fast._ Luckily, she hadn't noticed his slip-up. "I- I don't want to talk about it."

"Ok, I understand," she said, and bounded up on her feet. "Well, Rick, I have to get going. I'll see you round."

"Err- wait!" He stuttered as she turned to leave the village. She looked back at him. "Why did you call me Rick?"

"Well, It gets confusing using the same name for each other."

"Wait- um…" She huffed and folded her arms. Riku was furious with himself. _What the hell are you playing at? You're like some stuttering fanboy!_ "You're leaving?"

"You were listening to the story, right? I'm a sphere hunter, so it's my job to hunt spheres!" her face lit up as if it were the most amazing thing in the world. "Yuna, Paine and Tidus are coming too."

Riku's face remained impassive, but a furious battle of will was taking place inside. On the one hand, he needed to get back on his mission, ASAP. However, he wasn't going to be able to do that unless he found out some more about this world and, more importantly, how to get off it. These spheres apparently held a lot of information. Should he become a sphere hunter with Rikku and learn more?

Or was that just an excuse to get closer to her?

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_In the ruins of Zanarkand, something stirred._

_At first, it puddled on the ground, then rose up and became, a dark, twisted parody of some vaguely humanoid creature, warped beyond all humanity. Where fingers and feet should have been, three sharp claws glinted, yet no light came from them. Rows of black teeth lined its mouth, and long, jagged antenna ran from its head. Its eyes were a hawk like yellow, with no pupil._

_It was hungry._

_Two lone figures approached the creature, which hid, unnoticed, in the shadows. The two women talked and giggled, pleased at how easy it had been to get into the dome. Spheres waited._

_A sudden strike, a scream, but no sound came out of the lady's mouth. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as her friend looked in horror at the creature that had stabbed into her chest, and pulled out her heart. Her companion fled, and didn't once look back._

_The woman's body shimmered and faded, and the shadow creature pricked the heart with its claw. Tendrils of darkness appeared, not from the creature but from the heart itself. It engulfed itself, and dropped onto the floor._

_Another puddle. A rising of Antenna and Claws and yellow Eyes. Hissing softly, the two creatures looked at each other, and then at the open door that the retreating woman had fled through._

_They were hungry, and they were multiplying._

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Rikku pouted on the bridge as Brother and Riku (or Rick as she now liked to think of him) stared at each other intently. At least, Brother was staring; Riku was looking at him with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I say it again! He is not a Gullwing! No! Never in a thousand years!"

"You said exactly the same thing about Tidus." Said Paine nonchalantly. Brother glared at her, as if daring her to go further. She didn't, and he huffed.

"It was bad enough taking on one bizarre man!" Tidus looked affronted, and Yuna sighed as they and Paine stuck together in one corner of the room. It was best to give Brother some space when he started ranting. "He is only here because Yuna says so!" He now looked at her adoringly, as if any decision made by her was utterly flawless. He still either remained oblivious to the fact that she and Tidus were together, or to stubborn to do anything about it.

"Well, what if Yuna says whether she wants him in or not?" said Buddy, who was desperately trying to get at the controls while Brother neglected his post.

"Me? Umm…" started Yuna with a blush. It will always difficult with Brother, especially when decisions were forced upon her like this. "I- I don't have a problem with."

"Hmm." Just then, a bright light flashed from Buddy's sphere wave and communications panel. "Aha!" Yelled Brother, leaping into his seat while Buddy checked the message. "_Muugc mega fa ryja y secceuh! Ev ra ec du zueh, ra crymm bnuga rescamv vencd!" Looks like we have a mission! If he is to join, he shall prove himself first!_

"Eh?" said Riku, scratching his head and adjusted his blindfold.

"He says that we have a mission," offered Rikku helpfully. "You can take part, and if you do well, you can join."

"Sounds fun."

"Um… I'll think we'll have to redefine 'fun'" said Buddy, a worried expression on his face. "The message is from Isaaru. He says that a stray tourist in Zanarkand had been attacked by a strange creature, and that her friend had been killed."

"Strange creature?" said Tidus with a frown. "Probably just a big fiend, the ruins are overflowing with them. There's nothing we can do about that, she should have stayed back and headed the warnings."

"Its dangerous as well as sacred." Added Paine. "They knew the risks."

"No, she says it was something else." Insisted Buddy. "She said it was like some sort of shadow-person." Suddenly, Riku went rigid. Everyone looked at him.

"What?" asked Yuna, concern now etched upon her face.

"A shadow-person?" He asked, his voice hoarse. "Did it have yellow eyes?" Buddy looked surprised, and nodded. Riku turned and gazed out the window, silent for a few moments. Then, he stretched out his right hand.

Almost instantly, a dark void seemed to appear at his fingertips. It lengthened and solidified, becoming what was most certainly a weapon. It was a sword, with a blood red hilt, which had six purple studs coming out in a circle where blade met handle. A ruby was set into the dark purple pommel. The blade itself was shaped like a bat wing, the membrane being a dark purple-black, the colour of a bruise, the edge and main body, a deep maroon. It was cruelly into a sharp point, with a second jagged piece appearing halfway upon the edge, completing its wing like appearance.

"I think you've found the right guy for the job. When it comes to darkness…" He spat the word, like it were a sour poison. "…I'm afraid I'm an expert."

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	4. Monkeys and Lightning Bolts

A few of you have complained that Riku is behaving a bit too angry, badass, etc. Well…he's not! I've tried to keep him close to the original character. In case you haven't noticed, he has been reasonably light-hearted in the past two chapters. Its only when he's questioned about where he's from that he goes antisocial, etc, and in Kingdom Hearts he does a similar thing for the same reason: he's guilty about having once turned to darkness, which is partly why he hates it so much.

**Also, I mentioned in the first chapter that a) this is **_**before**_** KH2, so Yuna, Rikku and Paine don't appear as the three fairies. I also mentioned that I changed it so that Tidus and Wakka weren't on the islands. Considering they had about three lines each, they were hardly vital to the storyline. This is why there will be no 'hey, I know you!' from Riku.**

Rant over.

"You've seen these things before?" asked Paine, now on full alert. Everyone was wary of the cruel blade now in Riku's hand, though he wasn't making any move toward them.

"Rikku," he said, trying to control the obvious discontent in his voice. "Didn't you say there were monkeys at Zanarkand?"

"Eh?" It was, under the circumstances, probably the most bizarre thing he could have asked. "Yeah, but what's that got to do with-"

"How many?" he asked, urgency clear on his face. By now, they had touched down near Zanarkand.

"A thousand, maybe more. But I doubt we're going to be attacked by an army of monkeys!"

Barely a fraction of a second later, what appeared to be a mutated monkey slammed into the windscreen, extracting a yell from Brother at the damage to his ship.

"What the-" began Tidus, but was promptly cut off as three more of the monkey-creatures landed on the window and started pounding at the glass, cracking it, screeching and wailing the whole time. They were the colour of burnt wood, with beady yellow eyes and black claws. They had two rows of sharp, decayed teeth, and, most curious of all, a black and red heart shape on their chests. The heart, too was twisted; three curving tips emerged from the bottom of the tattoo-like emblem to look like spikes. Whatever these things were, they weren't monkeys anymore.

"_Hu! So airship!"_ sobbed Brother. _No! My airship!_ Ignoring his protests, Yuna quickly pulled out one of her handguns and shot the four creatures swiftly through the glass, which now had four holes and several cracks. Once hit, the creatures dissipated in a cloud of dark smoke, and what appeared to be a tiny, pink heart floated into the air before that too, faded.

"What the _ramm_ was that?" cried Brother, frantically trying to reach the glass as if his touch could somehow fix it.

"A Heartless." Said Riku quietly. Yet again, all eyes were on him. He sighed. "It's an incarnation of the darkness in a heart. In the case, the monkeys' hearts. They feed off that same darkness- the darkness that everyone holds inside them, some more than others." Everyone looked at themselves uneasily, half-expecting to transform into a Heartless at any moment. "When they attack people, they extract the darkness from their hearts, and turn them into another Heartless."

"So, that woman who was attacked…" began Yuna, an expression of horror on her face. "She became a…Heartless?"

"That's right. Now if I were you, I'd contact whoever's in charge around Spira and get them to place guards at Guadosalam and at every temple."

"Why?" asked Tidus, his face a tangle of confusion, again.

"The Heartless don't just take people's hearts. They take the heart of whatever world they're on, i.e., the Farplane." The room was deathly silent for a few moments, before Shinra, who had escaped everyone's notice in the corner by the commsphere panel, spoke up.

"I'll call Nooj, Baralai and Gippal then?"

"Yes, do that." Said Paine, a rare expression of worry on her normally unreadable face.

Rikku was staring hard at the silver haired boy. Something that he had said…something wasn't quite fitting into place. But what?

Suddenly, it clicked. "You said 'whatever world they're on', right?" she said, excited now at the implication. "So, there are other worlds apart from Spira?"

"Of course there are," he said with a smile. "I'm from one myself."

"Neat! What's it like!"

"The Heartless took it."

"Oh…" Rikku felt slightly awed. This man had already suffered the loss of his own world, and now he was helping them protect theirs. He seemed to take it all in his stride, but Rikku found that highly admirable.

There was also…something about him, she thought. He had definitely not told them the whole story, that was for certain. He was…well, in Rikku terms he was 'pretty damn sexy'. As a teenage girl, Rikku couldn't help but notice boys every now and then, and when she did, would often try and recommend them to Yuna, which usually caused a lot of blushing and awkward moments, especially since Tidus came back (she wouldn't be forgetting the incident with Baralai and the bathrobe any time soon). But she didn't particularly feel like recommending this one.

The thought of actually liking someone in _that _way almost terrified her; she had always been, the fun, bubbly Rikku, not, 'Rikku and insert guy here '. She had always coped on her own. She didn't need someone there for her…right?

_Whatever it is,_ she thought desperately, trying to focus on the situation at hand. _Suppress it. Be yourself._ _Think of something to say, go on…_

"So, like, what happens to a world when the Heartless get it?"

"It dies, as does anyone on it at the time." _Oh, smooth._ _You don't have a clue what you're doing, do you?_

"Well!" shouted Brother suddenly from the cockpit, cradling a piece of glass in his hands. "Then we should go to the nearest temple right away! We don't want the Heatless-"

"Heartless." Corrected Paine with a smirk.

"_Crid ib! Yc E fyc cyoehk..._" _Shut up! As I was saying…_ "The Meatless cannot be allowed into the Farplane! We must guard it with our lives!"

"Excuse me, but aren't you forgetting something?" said Riku. "The_Heartless_ are here now, in Zanarkand." Brother looked at him grumpily, annoyed that the new boy was daring to contradict him. "So why don't we take them out while we have the chance?"

"I am the captain!" the Al Bhed man screeched. "I give the-"

"You wanna see Ultimaja, or not?" said Riku with a slight smile. The instant colour change of Brother's face from cream to scarlet to violet was an evident 'no'.

"I would," said Tidus. "It sounds wicked!" Brother turned to face him, dark blotches forming on his face as he noticed his other unfavoured person.

"Yes, it does sound quite impressive." Said Yuna sincerely. All the anger drained from Brothers face instantly and became a rather pathetic puppy-dog eyed look.

"Yuna wants to fight evil monkeys?" he said quietly. He jumped up with a sudden roar of triumph. "Then we fight evil monkeys!" Yuna shifted her feet nervously as Tidus clenched his fist, and everyone else just sighed in exasperation.

* * *

One thousand heartless: easy.

One Riku: Now you're scared.

The thrill of adrenaline, the rhythmic, metallic, almost musical whispers as the Soul Eater cut through Heartless and air alike. The knowledge that the others were fighting too, that he was not alone, like he been so often before.

Riku's blindfold slipped slightly. He frowned and adjusted it, leaping back just in time to avoid the slash of a black-clawed hand. He stuck out, and drove his way though the monsters, leaving only black dust and pale hearts behind.

The others were better than he thought. Tidus and Paine, with their impressive swordsman (and woman) ship and agility. Yuna, with her guns and magic, attacking the creatures from a safe distance, occasionally meeting one head-on with a swift kick. And Rikku, with her oddly shaped daggers, nimble, ducking, weaving, and dodging. A sharp stab, or a bomb thrown from the pouch in her belt. Quick, evasive, unpredictable, wild, beautiful…

_Beautiful?_

Riku felt pain in his shoulder, and saw that a Heartless had latched itself onto him during his ogling. Cursing his carelessness, he punched the repulsive creature in the face and quickly healed his shoulder before leaping back into the fray.

They were good, but a thousand was still a lot. Riku felt the tingling in the back of his mind, the intuition that told him what he should do. He motioned to the others to retreat, and they did, albeit confusedly.

He spread his arms, and looked to the sky.

Heartless, seeing their opening, leaped toward him, but were repelled by an unseen force. The sky darkened a fraction of a shade, and five purple lights shimmered among the clouds in a circle. They came down, slanting like the beams in a great hall, leaving trails of violet fire in their path.

Touchdown, and the flames spread, round and round, encircling the Heartless, trapping them. The blaze formed into a shape, the symbol of the very creatures it was destroying. The fire crackled, laughing at the irony, and Riku stood in the centre, smiling, and looking at the sky.

With no warning, the flames spread further, filling the whole heart like water poured into a bucket, and bit and tore at the creatures, writhing, killing, dying, fading away into embers. They did not touch the silver-haired boy in the middle of it all, and they left no Heartless standing.

"Was that Ultimaja?" asked Paine, impressed. Riku turned to her and grinned. He knew he had achieved something if had impressed the otherwise emotionless one.

"You bet," he said with a grin.

"So, does mean we're done now?" said Tidus hopefully. Riku just shook his head.

"I doubt it. All of those Heartless were monkeys." He looked toward the ruins. "There must have been another, different Heartless that was here that transformed them first."

"It'll probably still be in the ruins," said Yuna helpfully. "But…"

"What's wrong?" piped up Rikku. Yuna shifted on her feet nervously.

"Isaaru closed the Dome, remember?" That's were most of the monkeys were. They could easily find a way through, but we won't be able to."

"We'll have to blast our way in then." Said Riku. The others looked affronted.

"Zanarkand is a sacred place," said Paine hotly. "The tourists violated it before, we don't need it happening again."

Yuna and Tidus were about to agree, but to their surprise, Rikku spoke up first. "What? You'd rather let these things hide in there and make a potential army to take down Spira than blow up a door?" She squeaked, and clasped her hand over her mouth. "Yunie, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to shout."

"Its ok," said Yuna quietly. "It was a fair point." Riku watched on uneasily. It was clear he had touched a nerve about Zanarkand, but at least they had agreed, more or less. Making a mental note to more careful about such things in future, he started the trek towards the dome, the others soon by his side.

* * *

"Ok, so let me get this straight," said one of the guards who had been posted outside Vegnagun's chamber under Bevelle. "We're here, Yevon knows how many miles down, outside a completely empty hall on the Praetors orders, because Lady Yuna told him that a stranger who washed up on the beach told her we should?"

"She's the High Summoner." Said his companion nervously, who was slightly younger and new to the job. "And we have to obey the Praetor or we're out of a job."

"But still," Insisted the other. "Taking advice from a complete stranger she doesn't know? It wouldn't be the first time, either."

"Huh?"

"Two years ago, this guy washed up on Besaid claiming to be from Zanarkand. Complete loony. And she went and made him her guardian! And to top it off, he's her fiancé now!"

"Sir Tidus was the one who convinced her to give up the pilgrimage," retaliated the other hotly. "Without him, Sin would not have been defeated, Maester Seymour would be not have been thwarted, the truth about Yevon would be unrevealed, and Lady Yuna would have died."

"He's still a loony." Argued the other. Unbeknownst to the two guards, who were so engaged in their bickering, a cloaked figure was striding down the hall, their face hooded. They stopped in front of the two guards, who were shouting now.

"Excuse me," Their voice was female, sweet, and yet patronising. "I don't suppose you could show me the way out? I'm lost." The guards jumped in surprise, and soon the woman found herself faced with two rifles at point blank range.

"I find that hard to believe, ma'am." Said the guard who had defended Yuna and Tidus. He was trying to sound authorative, but his voice was shaky. "This area is off limits. Sorry, but you're under arrest." The lady reached behind her head and pulled back her hood. The men's fingers tightened around their triggers.

She had a rather pointed face, wearing a sweet smile that was anything but friendly. She had emerald green eyes, and startling blond hair that was short at both back and front, but parted at the forehead to make two antenna-like appendages.

"Ooh, now that's not very nice." She said playfully.

"You have to right to remain silent. Anything you- ugh!" the guard grunted as he found a knife growing from his chest. He collapsed to the floor, dead. His companion yelled and fired, but the shot went wide in his panic. The blond lady giggled and threw the second knife she had been concealing in her sleeve. It found its mark, and soon the second guard was on the floor, motionless.

Sighing, the lady bent down and retrieved the yellow and blue kunai from the dead men. She held them in her hand, and they dissipated in a crackle of lightning. Grinning malevolently, she made her way to the empty Vegnagun's chamber.

* * *

Waterfalls cascaded over the Farplane Glen, dropping over the side and into nothing. Flowers swayed slowly in an otherworldly breeze, and Bahamut was sitting in the middle of them, while the other Fayth loitered nearby. He was the youngest of the Fayth, but that gave him imagination, something the older Fayth had left behind in their living youth, and they respected him for it. It was Bahamut who had come up with the idea of using the dream Zanarkand to bring Tidus into Spira to defeat Yu Yevon, and he was perhaps the most respected of all the Fayth.

The day was like any other in the Farplane. Time was fluid here, and idling in the grass was just so…peaceful. The only movement was from Yojimbo, who preferred to pass eternity counting the vast amount of Gil he had acquired from the Pilgrimages.

"200000 Gil for receiving my aeon!" he said proudly. "And another 200000 every time they had me use Zanmato! Which was at least twice per Pilgrimage, a Pilgrimage every ten years for the past thousand years, how much is that?"

"80 million," said Shiva coolly. "But seriously, Yojimbo, what are you going to do with the money? Its not like you could spend it." Yojimbo grumbled, and plonked himself down on the grass.

"She's got a point, Yoji-boy." Said a voice from the entrance. The Fayth, startled, looked around anxiously. They saw a young woman, wearing a black trench coat, with green eyes and blond, antennae-like hair.

"Who dares disturb our peace?" fumed Ifrit. "You are not the High Summoner, nor are you one of her companions! You have no business here!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said innocently, not sounding sorry at all. "I was under the impression that I had the right to see my lost loved ones in the Farplane."

"That is through the entrance in Guadosalam," said Valefor. "This is deeper into the Farplane, only accessible through the Chambers of the Fayth."

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" asked Ixion bluntly.

"The names Larxene," she said, a glint in her eyes. "You're going to remember that name, because I do believe we'll become quite acquainted in the next few months."

"Unless you're about to commit suicide, I fail to see how." Said Anima.

"I've already died once. Not nice. Why do it again?"

"You're unsent?" cried Mindy in surprise. Behind her, Cindy and Sandy looked at each other nervously.

"Not quite." Larxene clicked her fingers, and two shadow-like creatures appeared in either side of her.

"What is the meaning of this?" said Bahamut quietly, though his voice held great authority. "What are these monstrosities?" The cloaked lady just smiled, and the creatures leapt towards Bahamut, striking him in the chest. Well, that wasn't supposed to happen. Fayth weren't solid. These creatures were powerful.

Bahamut vaguely heard his companions cry out in shock and rage before darkness clouded his vision. He felt a great wrench in his body.

Body?

He had no body. He was a Fayth.

Panicking, Bahamut felt another wrench, and suddenly he was screaming, twisting, trying to escape the agony, but he couldn't, he was being torn in two…

_Please,_ he begged silently, the young child who had been subdued after a thousand years of growing up emerging, pleading. _Make it stop…make the pain stop…_

It stopped. He didn't feel pain.

He didn't feel anything at all.


	5. We Play By My Rules

**Hey guys, sorry that this took longer! Everything is starting to heat up now...**

**Thornmage: Umm...why would it be replica!Riku? Though it would be interesting to include him, I don't see that working...**

**Anyways.**

* * *

Baralai sighed as he sifted through the ever-growing pile of paperwork on his desk. _Life is never simple_, he thought sullenly. He looked critically around the room that he now lived and worked in. Clutter was everywhere: many important documents; treaties, records, spheres of the past, and shopping lists had been tangled and confused with various articles of clothing (with a frown, he noticed his bathrobe was still missing. _Rikku!)_, plates of half-eaten food, his toothbrush, and Gippal.

He blinked. What was Gippal doing there? Had the stress of being a politician finally cracked the Praetor's mind?

"Hey Barry," said Gippal with a slight slur to his words. "What you up to?" Ok, that was definitely Gippal. Annoying nicknames, one-eyed, and tipsy.

"Paperwork," muttered Baralai. "I tell you, you're lucky, only having to tinker with a few machina for a living." He sighed, and glared venomously at the files strewn over his desk. "Politics…so much for the Eternal Calm. I haven't had a split-second of Calm the last two years, what with Vegnagun, and now _this_." He snorted and plonked himself down on his chair.

"Plus all your guards are dead," offered Gippal helpfully. Baralai went rigid in his chair.

"W-what?" he stammered, shocked.

Gippal just shrugged. "How else do you think I got in here? Apparently, according to one of your monks, some crazy lady in a cape came in and butchered them all, then waltzed down to Vegnagun's chamber and into the Farplane." He had to suppress a smirk as he saw the growing expression of horror on Baralai's face. "Oh, and on the way down she nicked Bahamut's Fayth statue."

"You sound awfully cheerful about it." Said Baralai with a sigh.

"Me? I don't let get stuff get me down. It'll work out." Said the Al Bhed with an air of dismissal. Baralai frowned.

"That's taking optimism to the extreme, Gippal. All the guards dead, someone's broken into the Farplane- which, I remind you, is _exactly_ what Yuna was warning us about in the first place-, and no Fayth statue to boot!"

Just then, there came a whirring buzz from the commsphere that had somehow wound up in the trashcan. Gingerly, Baralai leaned over to grab it, and placed it on his desk, knocking a pile of filthy…something…onto the floor as he did so. He switched it on, and a hologram of Nooj was projected over the top.

"Eww!" Said Gippal in a deliberately high girly voice. Both of the other Faction leaders ignored him.

"Baralai, said Nooj, sounding distressed. "I…I'm afraid I've got bad news."

"You failed your suicide attempt again?" asked Gippal sympathetically. Nooj just scowled and refocused on Baralai.

"My Youth League members in Kilika have told me that someone broke into the temple and stole the Fayth statue there." Gippal didn't have a response to that.

"Another one?" asked Baralai hoarsely. "The one in Bevelle has been stolen, too." He frowned. "Why didn't my own men in Kilika tell me this?"

"They're all dead. He killed them."

"He?" asked Gippal, genuinely curious, ignoring the look of horror spreading over Baralai's face yet again. "That's odd. It was a She over here."

"They must be working as a group," confirmed Nooj. "This man was wearing a black trench coat with a hood. Was she?" Gippal nodded slowly.

"We need to alert the other temples, fast!" said Baralai in a panic. "There can't be that many of them, we-"

"It doesn't matter how many there are," said Gippal with a frown. "If one of them can take out the whole of New Yevon's guards, do you really think we'd be helping by putting _more_ of our men to get butchered out there?"

"But…we can't just not tell them!"

"The thieves are probably already at the other temples." Said Nooj quietly. Baralai laughed derisively.

"No one can travel that fast, Nooj."

"They can when they can teleport." Gippal just nodded, but Baralai looked confused.

"I studied magic for three years, Nooj." He said firmly. "And I'm telling you now that teleportation is not possible."

"And I'm and telling you that the man teleported away." Baralai groaned and held his head in his hands, thunking it on the desk. _Could this day get any worse?_

* * *

"Oh _ramm._" Said Rikku nervously. "This is _not _good." 

The good news? There was only one Heartless left.

The bad news? It was the size of a giant, and it refused to go down. On the way down to the Chamber of the Fayth, the party had encountered Heartless that were roughly human shaped, about two-thirds the size, completely black with long antenna. Riku had called them 'NeoShadows'. But this one was a lot larger than a NeoShadow; where they had been swift and evasive, this one was brutal and unrelenting. Instead of antenna, it had black tendrils that seeped off from its head like some kind of crazy hairstyle.

"So," asked Paine, itching for a fight with this new challenge. "What's this one called?"

"Darkside," said Riku with a smirk. "I took on one of these before. They're all show."

"All by yourself?" said Tidus incredulously.

"I did a lot of stuff on my own, for a long time." Rikku looked at him curiously. Of course- his world had been destroyed. Did that mean all the people he had known there were obliterated, too? She was starting to see him in a different light now: she could feel another Paine case coming on. Doesn't talk much, mysterious past, hardship, etc._Typical emo,_ she fought dryly, then laughed. She realised she had just done that out loud.

Considering the comment preceding her outburst, that wasn't going to go down well.

"What?" asked Riku, irritated.

"Oh, err…nothing."

"Minus five respect points, Rikku." Said Paine nonchalantly. The blond girl sat down on the stone, annoyed now.

"Oh, poopie," she muttered. "Can't we just fight the bad guy and go home?"

"Come on!" shouted Yuna, and pulled out her guns for a round of trigger-happy. She hit the ugly beast right in the face, and it roared in pain. Rikku sat up and whipped out her twin daggers.

"Lets see what Heartless have to steal!" she whispered to herself with a grin. She sprinted up to Darkside, exchanging both daggers to one hand as she went. She trailed her fingers alongside the Heartless' flank, shivering at the cold touch. There was a small glow, and suddenly she was holding a small metal object in her hand. Without pausing to see what it was, she thrust it into her belt and doubled back on herself to attack the creature. It grunted at the sharp slash on its leg, but that was the least of its worries. Already it had suffered several sword gashes from Riku, Tidus and Paine, bullet-wounds in the face from Yuna, along with some potent black magic, also from Riku.

Snarling, it launched an all-out offensive. It lifted its clawed hand into the air, and it began to pulse and glow with dark energy. When the sphere had been fully charged, it released itself up to the ceiling of the dome, then split into many shards and came raining down upon the party.

"Watch out!" someone cried, but Rikku couldn't discern who. The Heartless had used the last of its power in a kamikaze attack, and she was thrown to the floor as the first bubble of darkness impacted, sending shockwaves through the stone.

She saw a shard fall toward her, and she stood rooted to the spot, staring at it open-mouthed. Her mind screamed at her to move, but her body wasn't listening. Closer, closer…

Rikku felt something tackle her, and she was pinned to the ground. The shard shattered on the space where she had just been standing. Soon the last of them had fallen, and she realised her nose was itching. Something was tickling it- a strand of silver hair.

"Riku!" she laughed, and pushed him off her, trying to hide her blush. "You pervie!"

"On the contrary, my friend." He said with a smile. "I had no such intention, you only interpreted it that way." He pointed a finger at her accusingly. "You are the pervert, not me!"

The blonde Al Bhed just pouted and turned her head away from him, again, trying to hide her blush, but failing. Tidus, Yuna and Paine looked at each other knowingly, amused by the flirting.

"You looked quite comfy there, Rikku." Said Tidus with a smirk.

"Hey!" said the blonde girl, thoroughly ticked off now.

"Perhaps you should almost get yourself killed more often, there might be a nice reward…"

"Stop picking on me!" She whined, holding her head in hands. Perhaps, if she had looked up, she would have seen Riku was blushing, too. Perhaps.

"Alright, lets get back to the airship. We're done here." Said Yuna, smiling at the reluctant chemistry between the two.

* * *

"So, ah, where do you think the new guy is from, hey Lu?" asked Wakka to his wife. The two were sitting on the grassy bank over Besaid River, Lulu cradling a sleeping Vidina in her lap. This was their favourite spot for relaxing.

"I'm not sure," she said quietly, stroking Vidina's hair. "He seems friendly enough…but his power is shocking. To teleport is incredible on its own, but he teleported while he was unconscious."

Wakka frowned. "That wasn't what I asked, ya?" Lulu was quiet for a moment, and then continued.

"He did not recognise Besaid when he saw it. Perhaps he is not of Spiran origin."

"What if he's from Zanarkand, like Tidus, ya?" speculated the red haired blitzer. Lulu frowned.

"Perhaps…though Tidus' Zanarkand was a dream, and has been destroyed. Perhaps he time-travelled from our Zanarkand."

"No, no, that wouldn't work." Said Wakka. "If he was, he'd still know about other places in Spira."

"Not from Zanarkand, then." Agreed Lulu. "But…where?"

"Ah, the mysteries of the worlds." Came a voice from behind them. The two lovers jumped in surprise and stood up hastily to face the newcomer. Lulu held Vidina close to her chest.

He was wearing the same black trench coat that Riku had, but he was more heavily built. He was older, in his thirties. He had short blond hair, and bristly stubble of the same colour. His blue eyes regarded them with light amusement, and he bore a cruel smile. On his left ear hung a small, silver earring of a strange, spiky symbol. In his left hand he held a deck of cards.

"Who are you, eh?" said Wakka defensively.

"I am Luxord," said the man smoothly. "Not that you'll live long enough for it to matter!"

"Lu!" cried Wakka, taking his Blitzball from where it had been resting on the grass. "Take Vidina and run!"

"I'm not letting you fight alone!" she retorted hotly. She lowered Vidina onto the ground behind her gently, and then grabbed her moogle doll that had been discarded earlier. It was covered in bite marks and saliva by Vidina, but it would do.

Luxord just smiled. "I'm afraid you've made a big mistake, lady." He lifted up his cards and flicked them between his hands expertly. "If you're going to gamble, you should first know that this is _my_ game." Without warning, the cards grew to a massive size, floating around him like a shield. He grabbed two and held them like swords, their edges shining in the sunlight, for they had been lined with sharp steel. "Do you know the rules?"

Wakka bellowed and threw his Blitzball at him, but one of the cards blocked it, shattering into shards of a strange, silvery substance, which faded slowly. Lulu saw her opening and aimed a Firaga spell through the gap, but by the time it got there another card had filled in.

"I believe it's my turn." Said the cloaked man, clearly amused. "Hastaja!" he yelled, and the cards spun faster around him, moving in a blur to quick to see.

Wakka felt something smash into his stomach, winding him, and he began to topple off the edge. Then, Luxord appeared in front of him with a grin, twirling his weapons around in a deadly circle. He had moved so fast, Wakka felt the hit before he saw it.

Lulu saw Wakka splash into the river below, and with a jolt of fear realised they could not win. With a cry she grabbed Vidina, and jumped into the water after her husband.

She forgot she couldn't swim, and neither could Vidina.

She panicked under the water, and precious air bubbles escaped her through her mouth. Vidina tried to bawl, but only got a lungful of water. Then, strong arms gripped her around the waist. The surface rushed nearer…

Air. She breathed it in anxiously, and lifted Vidina high up, keeping him as far from the deadly liquid as possible. She felt reassured in Wakka's firm hold as he carried them further downstream. She noticed the current had taken them far already; and she could no longer see the mysterious man who had bested them so easily.

Luxord chuckled as he watched them float away. Two still alive wouldn't matter. The games were just beginning, and victory was guaranteed.

* * *

**Proof-read this after my friend commented on falling levels of SGP. Hopefully some of it will be a bit easier on the eyes now. Next chapter coming soon, along with proof-reads of the others.**


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